Has it really been over two months since the last update? How time flies. Sorry to have kept everyone in the dark for so long (both literally and figuratively). Here is a long overdue update on the status of the RRRT and the new control system.
The replacement TCS was ordered back in October and arrive shortly thereafter. The TCS was installed on the telescope, and when powered up produced errors. We began troubleshooting, however this took longer than we anticipated and the team had to balance this work with travel and other projects. At this point the controller is no closer to working than when we started back in October, and we seem to have run out of options. After several lengthy discussions, we have made the decision to purchase a new TCS from another manufacturer. This is largely driven by the fact that we need the telescope operational for the spring semester. We are hopeful that the new TCS can be ordered this week, and that we will have it delivered sometime over the holiday break. The goal is to have the RRRT back online by the end of January.
Great Thank you so much for the update.
ReplyDeleteany update?
ReplyDeleteWith the holidays, it took a lot longer than anticipated to order the new controller and have it delivered. The controller is in, and we have begun working on it, but we are still probably 2-3 weeks away from having the scope back on Skynet (provided there are no additional delays).
Deletethank you for the update.
ReplyDeleteGreetings Jimmy,
ReplyDeleteDo you have an update on the return of RRRT to operation? I'm located at Lake Monticello and can help if needed.
Thanks,
Hello! We are getting close (though the weather isn't being very cooperative for on-sky testing). The good news is the new controller and installed and working. The bad news is we still have a few smaller issues to work out. The issue are easy to deal with if someone is sitting in the control room running the telescope, however it is a problem for running robotically on Skynet. We are working with the manufacturer to resolve these issues and we hope it will not be that much longer before we are back to 100%.
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